75 Z1 Resto

I started this about 3 years ago and just now going through with it. lol Some progress and some questions on locating a few parts. I started a thread a while back but the links to the photos have changed and rather than ressurect a dinosaur....

This was my Fathers 75 Z1 he bought new the same year I was born. It was stored in his garage (2nd wife didn't want him riding) for 14+ years. He passed in 97 and when the bike saw the light of day it began to deteriorate pretty quick. Surface rust popped up everywhere and the clear on the tank lifted, any of the zinc plated hardware/spokes tarnished. So I tore it down a few years back and finally getting around to restoring it.

Here's a scan of the original brochure





The bike before dissasembly. I have a Windjammer that I removed.



Me and my Pops in 75/76?



You can see the damage after taking the bike from storage

I moved some of the parts from my basement to my office/shop and began the process. I picked up a little sandblaster from Grainger that helped stripping the frame. Worked "ok" but took a bit longer than expected. I'm sure I'll be sandblasting other parts along the way so it's nice having the tools available.

Frame blasted



Primed and painted with PJ1 epoxy frame paint. Never used it before but their OEM frame paints were pretty good. Powdercoating was out of the question since the frame tag was still in tact.



Made a polishing station out of an old motor I had. Found the arbor at Lowes on sale for $0.25! Bought 2.



Polishing & cleaning

A couple questions:

I'm not going for a concours restoration but I don't want a blob of spraypaint either. I can't stand painted hardware. What can I do about parts like the axles that, I guess, were originally zinc coated? Are they still available NOS? How about the steering stem nut?



How about OEM throttle cables with the chrome housing?



Money is a bit tight so I couldn't go SS spokes and DID rims. I did find a SS rim set on Ebay along with some OEM spokes. Also picked up a tapered steering bearing set. Wheels are nasty to say the least. They looked brand new before the bike was ridden again.

Get up on www.z1enterprises.com and really dig through the site...you can get a good feel for what is available OEM or aftermarket...to a lesser extent, www.z1parts.net will do the same. You can also use the www.kawasaki.com site and if you search correctly, the site will let you know what parts are still available from Mother Kawasaki....other sites with on-line microfiche access (e.g. Babbitt's etc.) cannot tell you which parts are still available

Kidkawie wrote:

A couple questions:

I'm not going for a concours restoration but I don't want a blob of spraypaint either. I can't stand painted hardware. What can I do about parts like the axles that, I guess, were originally zinc coated? Are they still available NOS? How about the steering stem nut?

Eastwood, and no doubt others, sells a small zinc plating kit that works well for small stuff like screws, bolts and the like. I'm sure you could do the axles as well.

Thanks for the links! I'l definately be spending some money there.

TexasKZ, I think that's exactly what I need, and it's affordable. Thanks!

I just ordered the Eastwood system. That will be worth it's weight in gold by the time I'm done. I also picked up their aluminum polishing kit for the engine.

Man that will be a sweet ride when ya get done. Your Dad would be very proud of the resto you are doing.

Paintworkz has the original Z1 colors figured out if you are planning on the stock paint scheme.

It will take some time and elbow grease but well worth the work when its done.

Thanks! Yeah, I want to repaint it stock. I have the equipment but I'm still a noob at (spray gun) painting. I did a couple fenders and crap here at work, just need some more practice. I'd like to spray it myself, but maybe I'll let someone more qualified do it.

The body parts are in pretty good shape but one of the side covers fell off while riding due to deteriorated grommets. It's not too bad but will need to be repaired.

paintworkz.com/Paint.html

I started the difficult task of cleaning the engine. What a PITA! After cleaning it with degreaser I knocked off as much oxidation as possible with a fine wire wheel on a pneumatic rotary tool. Then I remembered a post here about using WD and a wire brush so I tried that and it worked VERY well. There's still some little knooks I cant reach but it's night and day from what it was. Looks brand new at 10' with a coating of WD. I remember that mag wheel cleaner worked well on my Harley so I'm going to give that a shot then another soaking of WD. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

Question: Does anyone know a cross reference to the shift shaft seal part number? I need one and don't really need anything else right now so it's dumb to pay shipping on that little seal.

2) Is there and automatic chain oiler and how do you shut it off?

Thanks. Should have the engine in in the next few days.

If you have a Z1-B, then it came without an automatic chain oiler. Kawasaki used an O-ring chain which did not require continual lubrication.